The Crossover
by avatarfanlin
Summary: written for round 8 of bending comp.


**grrrr it's not LinX someone.**

 **but a comp's a comp**

 **prompts: (object) strange twinkling lights, (quote) "Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you gotta open your brain to the possibilities." -Bumi, (word) underestimate, eathbending.**

 **Word count: 1,316**

* * *

"Tell me again why my cousin suggested you instead of coming herself?"

Lin let out a growl, they had been walking for three hours through the spirit world in search for Eska and were still yet to come up with any sign for her, what made it worse was that Desna continued to ask pointless questions. "Because your sister tried to kill the Avatar. Does that satisfy your question?"

"Not really. My father used to tell us that the spirit world was no place for mere mortals."

"It's not."

"Then what makes you so qualified?"

"One, I'm a detective. Two, I grew up being cared for by Avatar Aang. And three, I dated Tenzin. I spent years listening to both of them go on and on about the Spirit world and how it works."

"I've listened to my sister go on about dressing like a girl, that doesn't make me an expert on dressing like a girl."

"You sure?" Lin smiled to herself as the young Chief tried to think of something to retort with. Looking around, she saw strange twinkling lights in a tree. "I think we just found our spirit guide kid. Excuse me!"

The spirit wrapped its tail around the tree branch, and allowed itself to hang upside down. "I am the spirit of Twinkling Lights, how can I help you?"

Lin cocked an eyebrow at the spirits title, but shrugged it off as the spirit world's sense of humour. "We are looking for the Northern Water Tribes Chief."

The spirit looked around Lin, and pointed a black finger, covered in twinkling lights, at Desna. "He's behind you."

"I'm looking for the _other_ Chief."

The spirit tilted her head to the side in confusion. "The _other_ Chief? There are two of them?"

Desna nodded. "Yes, we are looking for my sister."

"Oh, does she have black hair, dark skin, purple stuff on her eyes, looks like she is desperate to kill something?"

Lin shook her head in confirmation. "That's the one. So I take it you saw her?"

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't."

Desna frowned. "But you just described her, surely you've seen her."

"I might have seen her, yes."

"Enough of this!" Lin rose herself up on a pillar of earth and glared at the spirit. "Yes or no, have you seen the Chief?"

The spirit slunk back at the imposing earthbender's form. "She went to the valley of the shadow of death, and realised there's nothing left, cause I've been blasting and laughing so long, that I forget which way she went."

Lin's eyebrow twitched at the spirit's answer. "You know what, bye."

"Wait! I'm sorry. I was rude and not very helpful. You see, my mama thinks that my mind is gone but I never crossed a human who didn't deserve it-"

Lin lowered herself back to the ground and walked away, waterbender in tow. "Well she was unhelpful. What do we do now?"

Just as she was about to come up with another idea, a spirit butterfly came into view. "Same plan as before kid, spirit guide. Let's go." The metalbender took off into a light run, but stopped when she didn't feel Desna running behind her. Looking back, she saw him standing still, a deadpanned look on his face.

"I don't run."

"I don't care." Shooting a metal cable at the waterbender, she wrapped it around his waist and started sprinting after the spirit.

Desna let out a high-pitched scream as Lin summoned the earth under her to propel them faster. "Let me go!"

"Are you going to run?!"

"Yes!" feeling the metal around his waist drop him, Desna flexed his fingers at some water on the ground and turned it into ice before jumping on it and spurring it forward to keep up with the Chief of police, soon overtaking her.

"What the?"

Desna shot her an uncharacteristic smirk over his shoulder. "You underestimate me Chief."

"That little-" The two benders continued to follow the butterfly until they came to a caverns ledge that was filled with fog.

"She must be in there."

"Wait, we need a pl-" Lin was cut off as the earth they were standing on gave way and they fell into the fog. The Chief groaned as she pushed herself off the ground. "Desna?" No response. Her heart rate began to increase as she realised she was all alone.

* * *

She wondered around for what felt like hours, in search for Desna, when a voice was heard from behind her. "Why don't you give up? You couldn't control me, what makes you think you can control this?"

Lin whirled around to see a twelve-year-old Su standing in front of her, a smug look on her face. "Why are you talking to me like this? We fixed everything that was going on between us."

"What about us?" Lin's eyes went wide as her mother stood before her, in her old officer's uniform. "Hmm, Badgermole?"

Lin let her body sink to the floor, and pulled her knees into her chest. "Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you gotta open your brain to the possibilities. Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you gotta open your brain to the possibilities." Chancing a glance, she looked up to see no, Su and no Toph. "Thank the spirits."

"You didn't think it was that easy did you?"

"Leave me alone!" Lin shot her cables towards the image of her mother but they passed straight through.

"Why would I do that? You're my daughter, my terrible, useless excuse of a daughter."

The earthbender felt something hit itself across her cheek, causing her to fall back onto the ground with a thud. Opening her eyes, she was met with Ty Lee's clenched fist about to make contact with her face, only to stop suddenly. "Get up!"

"Aunt Ty Lee? What are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to save you and Desna!"

Lin glanced over her aunt's shoulder to see Desna fending off spirits that were trying to close in on them. She stood up and flexed her muscles as she prepared to fight. "What's the plan?"

"Aerial rescue."

The earthbender gave a curt nod in understanding. "Hold on to me." She shot the cable from her right gauntlet, and felt it make contact with something solid. "Desna! We're leaving!" The waterbender threw himself onto the Chief and began to panic at the site of tendrils chasing after them. They soon found themselves on top of a bison, to their relief. "Go, go, go!"

"The fog is holding us back!" Ty called from the bison's head.

"Would you like some ice with that?" Desna asked, opening his water pouch.

"Yes, please," Eska grinned. Twin ice helixes spiralled around the bison, severing tendrils of fog.

Metal cable whistled passed their faces, cutting a remaining tendril. Lin shot them a smirk at seeing their stunned faces. "You missed one."

* * *

The bison landed by the spirit portal. Chief Beifong scooped Eska up into her arms and lowered them off the air bison. She let out a thankful sigh at being safely back on solid earth but the moment was ruined when the bison gave Lin a full-body lick.

"He likes you." Ty Lee giggled when she received a scowl.

"I'm not sure it's mutual."

"He must remember you from when you were little."

Lin squinted as she took in the bison's appearance. "Appa?"

She was rewarded with more slobber.

"That's impossible. An air bison's lifespan…"

"I met him in the Spirit World, when I crossed over," Ty Lee interrupted. "Uncle Iroh said he needed the exercise. I should have seen it sooner. Your aura is just as grumpy as your mother's."

"Gee, thanks, aunt Ty Lee"

"Sorry to interrupt the reunion…" said Eska.

"…But who's aunt Ty Lee?" Desna finished.

The earthbender continued to look the woman over as she answered the twins. "The inventor of chi-blocking, among other things. Thank you for the rescue."

"I should thank you." Said Ty Lee. "It was starting to get dull around here. Be sure to visit!"

Holding Eska between them, Desna and Lin crossed over.


End file.
